"Was sitting in PM office..." - Shaheen Afridi's revelation on his appointment as Lahore Qalandars' skipper

Shaheen Afridi is one the most reputed pacers in world cricket in the modern game. He has achieved success across formats. From starting as a T20 specialist bowler, he has adjusted himself to different formats and now plays all three formats as well.

With yet another season of the PSL starting, Shaheen Afridi is all set to lead the Lahore Qalandars. The league is in its ninth season having started in 2015. The Qalandars are the defending champions of the title having won it in 2023.

The season starts with the first match between the Qalandars and Islamabad United on February 18 from 8 pm IST in Lahore. Every team will play 10 league games each. At the end of the league stage, the top four teams will make the knockouts with the top two playing the final on March 18.

Afridi was named captain of the Lahore Qalandars in December 2021 and has already led the franchise to back-to-back title victories. In 2022, he became the youngest skipper to win a T20 league. He also finished as the leading wicket-taker in the 2022 edition with 20 scalps in 13 matches.

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Afridi recalled how he became the Lahore Qalandars skipper and spoke about how the former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had a role to play in the same.

“I have not captained at any age level, really, maybe once at Under-19 level. I never even had an interest in captaincy. But then in 2021, I was sitting in the PM office with Sameen bhai [Lahore Qalandars owner] and Aqib Javed and Imran Khan [then Pakistan Prime Minister] suggested that I be appointed captain” said Shaheen.

“Obviously, you can never say no to Imran bhai. After that I became captain of Lahore. I was vice-captain, but when Imran bhai said I should be captain, that’s when the change happened,” he added.

Also Read: Lahore Qalandars playing 11 vs Islamabad United, PSL 2024 Match 1

Shaheen Afridi Recalls Imran Khan’s Wise Words

Shaheen’s impressive PSL performance meant that he was also chosen as Pakistan’s T20I skipper as the PCB decided to overhaul their leadership across formats after the ODI World Cup. The PCB chose him as the T20I skipper and Shan Masood as the Test skipper. Pakistan lost the T20I series 1-4 under Shaheen’s leadership to start his stint.

He further said how Imran Khan had a chat with him when the Qalandars won their first PSL title. Shaheen Afridi also spoke about a few more wise words from the former Pakitan skipper.

“When we won the title in 2022, I went to meet Imran [Khan] bhai and told him ‘at least we’ve now won one title!’ And I thanked him at the time for showing faith in me. That’s when my captaincy started, until then I had no interest. Imran said most great fast bowlers have been captains because fast bowlers have the authority to set fields and they understand other fast bowlers, concerning what they need and what they’re going through,” he concluded.

Shaheen’s leadership in the PSL should be monitored closely as he is all set to lead the Pakistan national team in the T20 World Cup 204 World Cup later this year in June.

Also Read: Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United Match Preview- PSL 2024, Match 1